This invention relates to apparatus for shearing work such as, typically, steel beams or strips of L shaped cross section. More specifically, the invention pertains to an assembly of shears and associated means to be replaceably mounted to a portable, hydraulic punch press. The shear assembly according to the invention is particularly well adapted for use in cutting L sectioned steel strips at 45 degrees or other angles preparatory to combining them into rectangular frames at sites of construction.
The need arises at construction sites for cutting off the ends of L sectioned steel strips at 45 or 135 degrees and joining them end to end into rectangular frames with flanges directed inward or outward. Conventionally, rotary cutters or cutting presses were employed to this end. Such conventional machines were mostly not portable but were permanently installed, and the work was set at required angles to the cutting lines of the machines.
An objection to the prior art cutting machines is that they require skilled workers for setting the work exactly at required angles. The machines are so bulky and heavy, moreover, that they could not possibly be transported to construction or other sites for cutting steel strips in situ. The cutting presses are additionally objectionable because they cut by punching, not by shearing, so that the punchings created were wasted.